Astonishing
by stiffkittens101
Summary: After Blind Mag's so called accident on the night of her last performance, she wakes up to find that her attempted suicide had failed. She is then greeted by an alluring stranger who turns out to be Hell's most serpentine carny who makes her an interesting deal.


_This is my second installment of my Repo/TDC crossover series. I suppose it may be a bit cliche of me to ship two of my favorite characters but hey, I think they'd be good together. So here it is! I hope you like it!_

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Astonishing

Mag had never been a huge promoter for Zydrate. Her boss's spoiled, surgery addicted brat had that well covered. She had to admit however that she had made the right choice in buying some for this particular occasion. She was going to kill herself for the entire viewing world to see. This was supposed to supposed to mark the night of her retirement from GeneCo, the start of a brand new life for her or so the media what was saying. Mag knew, however that there would unfortunately be nothing left for her after GeneCo. It wasn't as her leaving the company was involuntary. She was not sad about it in the least. She knew that she was going to die either way. Her only regret was that it took her seventeen years to realize that signing a contract with them was the biggest mistake of her life.

She supposed that she had overlooked Rotti's cruelty, the ignorance of his daughter and brutality of his sons because she felt obligated; obligated to be their puppet, their little song bird because of the fame that came with it. Singing had been a lifelong dream of hers and when the most powerful man in the world, her best friend's then fiancé saw potential and her and opted to make her star, well how could she refuse such an offer? She was only nineteen back then and all she could think about was getting the deal of a lifetime: fame and fortune along with the gift of sight for the first time. Perhaps she had been blind in more ways than one.

Mag would never forget that when she opened her synthetic eyes for the first time, Marni was the first thing in view and what she saw was the beautiful thing in the world. She soon learned however that it was only people like dear Marni who were the light in the cold, dark world she grew up in. It was a world where looks were everything. The saying "beauty on the inside" had become a shallow term in its new meaning. Her fans, as much as she appreciated them, were a bunch of drug and surgery addicts who wanted to be her only because they thought she was some kind of goddess; "A Voice of a Generation" as the media had named her. She knew it wasn't their fault, they couldn't have possibly known how alone she truly was.

Rotti made sure to dress her up and glamorize her so along as the public loved her and so long as she smiled for the cameras, endorsed his products. The fact that she truly abhorred was the public believed that Mag had a wonderful relationship with the Largo family when in reality they saw her as nothing but a toy. Rotti treated her like a delicate porcelain doll making it known that he could break her in an instant. Amber in all her bitterness ridiculed her and never hid her hatred. Luigi and Pavi, well both of them had always objectified women anyway and she was no exception. The worst thing of all was that she had no one to help her cope. Her dear soul sister, Marni had died in childbirth (or so she thought ) and her friend, Nathan, Marni's faithful husband had turned into a recluse after her death.

When Mag first laid eyes on Shilo, she knew immediately that Marni's baby had survived after all. The resemblance was unmistakable. At last, she thought, someone to love, a beautiful goddaughter to protect. Seeing Shilo had nearly made Mag reconsider her decision but sadly paying a visit to the Wallace residence and being approached by an unwelcome Nathan, Mag knew that there was nothing she could do for the girl; nothing except leaving her with a few words of advice that she could conjure and hoped that Shilo would take to heart. Despite Nathan throwing her out however, she felt at piece in knowing that at least one part of Marni was still alive. She was caged up, like Mag had been but she was young and still had a chance which was all the comfort Mag needed.

Under the numbness of the zydrate, Mag could not feel the pain of the sharp ornaments when they pierced her eyes. Ignoring the sounds of shock and horror from the audience, she plucked her genetically enhanced eyes from her sockets and threw out her arms in triumph. She would not be controlled anymore. What she didn't anticipate was the deep puncture of the spiked metal gate beneath her. _That_ pain she did feel a little but it only lasted for a moment. She died with a smile on her face, she wasn't afraid of death, she welcomed it and she was relieved, relieved that she made her decision and went through with it. Mag felt a sensation that she never had felt before but it somehow felt nice. She could begin to feel herself drifting away, it all felt so surreal, not like anything she imagined death would be but it felt so peaceful.

The serenity had continued on and she hoped it would last forever until…..

"CLEAR!" Suddenly there was a sharp jolt and what seemed like a hundred voices all around her. There was another sharp jolt and Mag knew that the blissfulness was over.

What was happening? She was supposed to be dead.

"I think that she's breathing!" someone called out. "Miss Defoe! Miss Defoe! Can you hear me?"

Mag groaned and was about to open her eyes when she realized she wouldn't be able to see. She opened her mouth instead and muttered out a weak "What?" When she felt her breath recoil back on her she realized she must have had a mask on. "Doctor, I think she's awake!" the same voice called out. Doctor? Awake? Oh no, she thought, it can't be.

"Miss, Defoe. Can you hear me?" another voice repeated. 'Unfortunately' , Mag thought in her head but instead she breathed out a "yes".

"Thank God, you're alive." The doctor replied. "It took nearly eight hours of surgery to pull you back but we did it. There was terrible accident during your performance but you're safe now. We'll be sure to let Miss Sweet know of your recovery."

"Miss Sweet?" Mag questioned. Why would Amber care if she was alive?"

"Yes, Miss Defoe. Mr. Largo has passed away and he's left his daughter in charge of GeneCo but don't worry about that. What's important is that you get some rest. We'll be back to run some tests later and maybe talk about getting you a new set of eyes. Good day, Miss Defoe."

Mag listened to the sound of the doctor's footsteps as he left the room and heard the door shut. She reached up her hand and felt the side of where her eyes should have been. She had a bandage on and she could feel tubes in her arms as well. She was about to pull the tubes out but she then realized it was no use. If she tried anything they would most likely hook her under again and "fix" her. Was there really no hope for her? She couldn't even commit suicide in peace without those idiot doctors interfering. If Amber truly was in charge now why did she even bother to see to it that Mag was revived? Probably just so she could torture the woman a little longer that she was in power. Once again, Mag felt the familiar feeling of helplessness. She sighed heavily into her palms and began letting out a few dry sobs.

"It looks like you've landed yourself in quite the predicament, dearie."

Mag froze when she heard the unfamiliar voice that seemed to come out of nowhere. She hadn't heard the door open again but perhaps she couldn't hear because she was crying.

"Hello?" she called out, listening carefully for a response. "Who's there?"

She heard something that sounded like a chuckle and the stranger spoke again. "That all depends on what you see in front of you." he replied.

Mag scowled. "Don't mock me. I can't see anything. Now who are you and what do you want? Are you here to kill me?" she asked half-hopefully.

"One cannot kill what is already dead." The stranger countered.

Mag was taken aback by the truth in that statement. The mysterious man could see her obvious shock and continued on. "The doctors may have been able to resuscitate you but you don't feel very alive do you?"

Mag dropped her head and shook it sadly. "…No." she whispered.

The man studied her expression, feeling a slight hint of pity for her, something that he usually didn't feel. "Why exactly do you think that it?"

"Why do I think what?" Mag asked the stranger.

"Why do you not feel alive?"

Mag pondered this for a moment and then gave her honest answer, wondering in the back of her mind why she was pouring her heart out to someone she didn't even know. "Because I...I don't know who I am anymore. I don't feel like I have anything to live for."

The man nodded "Well, my pet, I can't tell you what life is worth living for, that's something that I've long forgotten, however… if you wish to see who you are, I might be able to help you."

Mag cocked her head, intrigued in his statement "How can you possibly do that?"

The serpentine figure smiled. "I have my ways but I need something from you in return."

It figured, nothing was free in this world after all. Mag was however, all too familiar with making deals, so why should this be any different? "What is it that you want from me?"

The man ran a scaly finger along the base of Mag's bed. "Whatever it is that you're willing to give, I suppose. I don't really care either way. The decision is yours."

There was something else for Mag to wonder though. "Why are you offering to help me if you can anyway?"

The man snickered. "It's all fun and games for me, dearie, though someone else may call it my job."

Mag had no idea what that meant but she regressed. "Okay then, what is it that you need?"

"In order to help you see? All I need is you, my pet, to take all of you in." Mag inwardly cringed. What exactly did he mean by that? As if reading her mind, he continued. "Simply put, I need some of your DNA."

This situation was growing all the more peculiar but she began to calm down. That price wasn't so bad. "Okay what about a lock of my hair?"

The man seemed amused and let out a noise that sounded somewhere between a hiss and a laugh. "I'm afraid that's not what I had in mind."

Mag gulped. "What then?"

Reaching into his red leather coat pocket, the man took out what sounded like a flask of some kind. Mag believed she could hear liquid swishing inside. "Here, take a drink, relax."

Mag hesitated. "I don't usually except drinks from strange men, let alone ones I can't see."

The shifty man snickered again. "Come now, if I intended to drug you, don't you think I could have found a syringe to use in here? You've been conversing with me this long and I haven't done anything yet have I?"

"I didn't really have a choice in the matter in speaking with you seeing as I haven't been able to get off this bed. What's in that flask anyway?"

"Just a bit of whiskey, it won't hurt you if you take one sip." He assured her.

This was getting all too weird and it was happening so quickly. Mag couldn't help but question herself. "How do I know that I'm really even talking to you right now? For all I know I could have gone insane and am really in a mental asylum instead of a hospital. Maybe you're just a voice I made up in my head to keep my company."

"Even the voices in our heads are real sometime, dearie. So whether I'm real or not what's the harm in taking a little drink? You've already enlisted in my help."

Mag shrugged. That was true. She had been talking to him for quite some time and was even willing to make a deal with him. For all she knew he could be some psychopath who sneaked in and was toying with her until he was ready. Then again, she had wanted to die anyway so what had she to lose? Mag finally took the flask from his gloved hand and took one big gulp. The alcohol was strong and she winced at the flavor, handing it back to him.

He smiled and brought the flask to his own lips, swallowing the substance easily, as if it were water. When he was finished, he wiped his mouth and then reached out to graze Mag's lips with one of his fingers. She stayed silent, wondering was he was doing. He brought his face close to hers and she could feel him breathing. She gulped again and he smirked, bringing the traced finger to his mouth and brushing it against his tongue. He drew back and walked over the side of Mag's hospital bed. He placed his hands on the bandage that covered her eyes.

"Are you ready to see?" he hissed.

Mag let out a heavy sigh and nodded. With that he began to carefully untie the bandages and let them fall into Mag's lap. Her eyelids remained shut and she remained still and tense.

"Go ahead, open your eyes, Magdalene." he breathed against her ear.

Mag shivered at the contact and didn't even think to question to as how he knew her name. Taking one last deep breath, she opened her eyelids and was shocked to see what appeared to be her after all. She was wearing a long red cloak, black shirt and a very long raggedy top hat, her hair was the same dark brown wave cascading down on her shoulders, her skin pale, and she was smiling. Mag reached up to touch her cheek and the clone did the same, mirror her actions. The one significant difference was her eyes. They were a nice shade of blue but they were normal, there was nothing robotic about them.

"This can't be me." said Mag.

"Well of course it is." replied the clone, in the exact same voice. "I told you that I'd show you your true self."

Mag shook her head. "You don't understand. My eyes were given to me by GeneCo. They were genetically enhanced and they didn't look that real; unless those are just made to look normal."

The Twin shook his/her head. "Nope, these are the real deal, dearie, true and blue."

"It can't be possible." Mag insisted. "I was born blind. I don't understand how I'm even able to see right now."

Twin smiled showing off white teeth. "Come to mirror and take a closer look, pet."

Mag did as she was told and walked slowly over the long mirror on the right side of the room. She softly gasped at her reflection. Not dressed in a hospital gown like she thought she'd be Mag was wearing an elegant black, corseted gown. Her injuries seemed to have healed nicely and her hair was neat and wavy. Also to her amazement, she indeed had eyes, the same blue eyes her "clone" had reflected. It was astonishing. She stepped away from the mirror and walked up to her clone. "Is that really me?"

Twin nodded. "Of course, I'm made to show others their true self. This, is what you look like on the inside, dear, Magdalene; dark, mystifying, beautiful."

"And what is it that you really look like?" Mag had to know. Twin answered by transforming back to his original form, wondering how she'd react to his snakeskin. Mag stared for a moment at his scaly form then looked into his yellow eyes. There was something slightly evil about them but she was captivated by his unearthly form.

The two continued to stare at one another for a moment longer and then Twin broke the silence. "Well." He began, straightening his coat. "It seems that I've successfully delivered the task I came for so I suppose I'll be on my way now."

Mag's eyes widened. Was he really just going to up and leave her like that? "Wait, I didn't get the chance to thank you."

"No need to thank me, dearie." Twin replied, his back to her. "I'm only following orders. I have to go now." He began stepping towards the mirror.

"Wait!" she repeated. "Please, take me with you." She asked suddenly. Even she was surprised by the request.

Twin stopped in his tracks and turned back to look at her. "Are you sure you that you know what you're asking? You may not like where I came from. Besides, it really is no place for someone so angelic."

"I don't care. Anywhere else is better, there's nothing left for me here except for maybe sorrow. I need to leave, I _want_ to leave. Please, I'm begging you, take me away." Her eyes were pleading with him. It was all so foreign to him. Persuading her had been all too easy but then again, he was a master of persuasion. Still, he couldn't help but feel like she didn't deserve this fate.

"Are you willing to deal with the consequences if you come with me?" he asked.

Mag nodded. "I'll do anything you ask just get me out of this hell hole."

Twin bit back a laugh and only smirked. Oh the irony of that statement was too much. Twin decided however, that he wasn't one to deny this woman what she craved. "Very well then, if this is what you truly want, then take my hand."

Mag nodded and did just that. She stared after him in wonder as he led her through the mirror, taking her to what she hoped would be a land full of joy and wonder.


End file.
